By:Jennifer Corwin
3/24/2005

Betsy Ross is known around the Friends University campus as an energetic, compassionate professor of marketing, but teaching hasn’t been her only passion. She has always had a desire to open, own and operate her own business.

Recently, her dream came true.

Ross, always having a strong interest in specialty foods, began formulating the concept of starting her own business, which would incorporate fine foods. At first it only seemed like a far off idea, but after months of preparation and hard work, she and her partner, Glenda Mar, opened their own specialty foods store, Felissimo Fine Foods at 6452 E. Central.

Initially the design for the store was to have carryout food, while selling specialty foods such as olive oil, imported parmesan and pastas from Italy and baking chocolates in the store. Ross and her partner quickly found that people wanted a nice relaxing place to sit and enjoy their food instead of taking it out. Their operation rapidly transformed into part café, part specialty foods store.

Since Felissimo opened in August, business has been up and down.

Although Ross is a marketing teacher, she said that she didn’t expect it to be so hard to bring awareness about the store to the Wichita market.

“Opening my own business has proven to be a challenge,” Ross said.

Ross has had to learn to balance her time between her two full-time jobs. She works at Friends during the day and closes the café and store most nights.

Her main goal for the store is to target a market in Wichita that isn’t abundantly catered to. She didn’t want her store to duplicate the other stores in town.

“I want to differentiate from other stores and try to take good care of our customers,” Ross said.

Although starting her own business has been her goal for a long time, she feels like that’s not the only thing she has accomplished since its opening. She feels she has been able to take what she has learned and pass it on to her students.

“I have learned so much by starting my own business. The practicalities of doing this can add new layers of depth to my teaching. What kids need to know isn’t just in text books. It’s fine to talk about concepts, but with firsthand experience kids can really understand and grasp the dynamics of marketing, retail and management,” Ross said.

Chris Giddings, a senior marketing major, said, “Because Betsy has background starting and operating a business she can relate different situations to our class, which is so much more realistic than using a scenario that isn’t real. It’s like she has a dual role. She can also use her teaching experience in her store by helping educate and explain her products to her customers.”

Overall Ross thinks her balancing act of being a professor and a small business owner has been a tremendous learning experience.